Conventionally, a toner cartridge loaded in an image forming apparatus such as electrographic apparatus has an IC chip. In the IC chip, necessary data for control to prevent reduction in performance of the image forming apparatus and information for managing the toner cartridge are stored.
This information is performance information proper to disposables such as toner cartridge. It is extremely difficult for manufacturers of non-genuine products to produce the correct information. Consequently, in some cases, an IC chip as a genuine product is directly duplicated or altered and attached to other disposables such as toner cartridge and then distributed in the market with incorrect information written in the product. Users suffer disadvantages such as deterioration in image quality by continuing the use of non-genuine products by mistake. Moreover, there is a risk that the encroachment by the non-genuine products may impair the benefit to the genuine product manufacturer.